Ten Questions Facing the Hoosiers When They Open Spring Practice
/
The Hoosiers open spring practice on March 4th and the annual Spring Game will be played on April 13th. Image: Cam Koenig HoosierHuddle.com
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Tom Allen will enter his first spring practice as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers on March 4th. The Hoosiers are coming off of a 6-7 (4-5) season with an appearance in the Foster Farms Bowl in 2016. However, changes have been abundant in Bloomington since Allen took over for Kevin Wilson at the beginning of December. Here are 10 questions that the Hoosiers face when they kick off spring practice in Bloomington.
1. What Will Come of the Hoosier Quarterback Situation?
The biggest question heading into spring practice is what will happen at the quarterback position for IU. Richard Lagow started all 13 games last year and threw for 3,362 yards and 19 touchdowns, which is not too shabby. However, Lagow left the door open to a quarterback competition by throwing 17 interceptions and a dismal bowl performance where he completed just 35.9 percent of his passes. Add in the fact that IU has revamped their offensive staff with a new coordinator, QB coach, and line coach and it really makes it an open competition between Lagow, Austin King, and Peyton Ramsey.
Lagow will have the upper hand having started all 13 games last year, while neither Ramsey nor King has seen any collegiate action yet. DeBord’s offense ideally would like to have a dual-threat quarterback, something that head man Tom Allen has stressed as well, which again levels the field for Ramsey and King (although not as much). This is probably the most interesting position battle in a spring practice year that will have a bunch of qualities battles. We’ll have more on the quarterbacks in detail in our Spring Practice Previews coming out soon.
2. Who Steps in for LB Marcus Oliver?
The Hoosiers had arguably the best linebacker duo in the Big Ten last year in Marcus Oliver and Tegray Scales. Unfortunately for IU, Marcus Oliver decided to forgo his fifth-year and chase his dreams of making plays in the NFL, which leaves a pretty big hole for the Hoosiers to fill. Thankfully, All-American linebacker Tegray Scales returns for his senior season and that should make the burden a little bit easier to carry.
To offset the loss of Oliver the Hoosiers brought in three linebackers in the class of 2017. Two of which, Thomas Allen and JUCO transfer Mike McGinnis, are early enrollees who will participate in spring practice. The Hoosiers also have a couple players from 2016 who could step up as well with Chris Covington and Dameon Willis. Covington (29 tackles in ’16) is a great back-up to Scales and if the Hoosiers are playing a speed-oriented team having them both out on the field will be huge. Dameon Willis played well last year in a reserve role with 22 tackles and is more of a natural replacement for Oliver. Mike McGinnis was brought in to fill-in Oliver’s shoes as well. He was a JUCO All-American and will not just waste away on the bench. McGinnis should have every opportunity to win the job as well.
3. What Will the Offensive Line Look Like?
Another position group that will look very different to Hoosier fans in 2017 is the offensive line. Gone are All-American guard Dan Feeney, Dimitric Camiel, Jacob Bailey, and Wes Rogers. All of these guys played really good football for a long time for the Hoosiers and they will be missed. So who steps up in their place?
The short answer is: The young guys
The longer version is that IU will need to get some players back healthy and have other players step up. Brandon Knight’s 2016 season was ended against Maryland when he suffered a leg injury, but he should be back and a lock for a starting spot, as should sophomore-to-be Coy Cronk who had a stellar freshman year. The rest is up for grabs. There will be position battles at center, guard, and tackle and it is anyone’s job. Players like Delroy Baker, Simon Stepaniak, DeVondre Love and Hunter Littlejohn will have to continue to develop and step up into bigger roles. Redshirt freshman Mackenzie Nworah while Ja'Merez Bowen could be back on offense and will also be in the mix. 2017 early enrollee Tyler Knight will also try and break into the rotation along the line.
4. Can Griffin Oakes Regroup After a Disappointing 2016 Season?
In 2015 Griffin Oakes won Big Ten Kicker of the Year Honors. In 2016 Oakes was inconsistent at best. He converted just 61.5 percent of his field goals (16-of-26). Oakes also got progressively worse as the season went on. In September he hit 66.7 percent of his kicks. In October that number dropped to 63.6 percent. In November he only converted 57.1 percent of the time. Oakes went one-for-two in the Foster Farms Bowl in late December. Can he get back to the level of performance that won him Big Ten honors two seasons ago?
He better fix whatever issues, whether mental or physical, plagued him, because Indiana will need him.
Some of the Hoosiers red zone issues were because Oakes missed kicks inside the red zone on four occasions. Of course you’d rather have touchdowns, however three points is better than no points. Oakes also struggled on kickoffs as he booted four out of bounds and saw his touchback rate drop from 62.8 percent in 2015 to 59.9 percent in 2016. The job is still Oakes to lose, but Indiana is bringing in the number one kicker in Colorado, according to Prokick.com, for fall camp.
5. Will Special Teams Be an Emphasis?
As much praise that former IU head coach Kevin Wilson received as an offensive genius, he deserves the opposite for his lack of emphasis on special teams. The Hoosiers have been in a steady decline since 2012 with their special teams units. That is a death sentence for a team that is trying to upset a few of the big boys in the Big Ten East. Teams like Indiana need to find an edge somewhere in order to beat a Michigan, Ohio State, or Penn State. When current head coach Tom Allen was introduced, he did say that there would be more time spent of special teams. Indiana needs those “hidden yards” that can be found in the kicking and return games if they are to breakthrough in 2017.
6. Can Camion Patrick Stay Healthy?
The Hoosiers will be looking for a new number one running back after Devine Redding declared for the NFL Draft. The solution at RB1 is slated to be Camion Patrick, if he can stay healthy.
Hoosier Nation has seen flashes of what Patrick can do. After coming off of a major knee injury last spring, Patrick played in nine games and caught six passes for 154 yards (25.7 yards per catch) and a score. When he didn’t catch the ball when targeted, he drew pass interference penalties. Patrick also carried the ball four times for 10 yards and a touchdown. He has all the ability in the world. He just has not had a chance to show people his full potential. Hopefully, 2017 is the year the Camion Patrick Legend comes into the light.
7. What Will the Offense Look Like Under New Offensive Coordinator Mike DeBord?
Tom Allen has a vision for what the Indiana offense should be. He has said numerous times that he wants to run the football and have a quarterback that the defense has to account for. Mike DeBord was brought in from Tennessee to be the new offensive coordinator after IU parted ways with Kevin Johns.
DeBord ran an up-tempo spread at Tennessee and you can expect a similar offense on the field in Bloomington. However, the Hoosiers lack an experienced dual-threat quarterback so the offense will have to be tweaked to fit the strengths of the roster.
On the bright side, DeBord used his tight ends a lot more than Wilson or Johns did. Last year Hoosier tight ends caught 10, yes 10, total passes, while Tennessee TEs caught 45 balls for 499 yards.
Our own T.J. Inman said this about DeBord in an article earlier in the year, "The Tennessee offense featured multiple personnel sets and was often lined up in a spread formation. In the limited time I’ve had to look at past Volunteer games with DeBord calling the shots, I was impressed with the diversity in their formations, the number of big plays they had, the way quarterback Joshua Dobbs was utilized and the efficiency in the red zone".
8. How Do the Early Enrollees Look?
The Hoosiers welcomed five early enrollees in the 2017 recruiting class: Thomas Allen, Juan Harris, Tyler Knight, Mike McGinnis, and Haydon Whitehead. Enrolling early gives these players an advantage over the rest of the class since they get to go through winter workouts and spring practice. Three of these players, Harris, McGinnis, and Whitehead, have a legitimate chance of seeing the field as either starters or key rotation players next season and watching them play in the spring will be exciting. Knight could have a chance to crack the offensive line rotation if he plays well enough in the spring, while Allen will most likely redshirt in 2017 and get ready to be in the rotation in 2018 and beyond.
9. Will There Be Separation Between Mike Majette, Devonte Williams, Tyler Natee and Cole Gest?
With Camion Patrick penciled in to be the starter at running back, the competition for carries behind him will heat up starting March 4th. The Hoosiers have a foursome of candidates who could land in that back-up role. Junior Mike Majette and redshirt sophomore Devonte Williams have the most experience of the bunch, but cannot stay healthy, as both have missed significant time with injuries the last two seasons. Redshirt freshman Cole Gest could sneak up to that spot if he can show the same burst he did in his first three games before getting hurt. Finally, sophomore-to-be Tyler Natee will have his chance at being the number-two back after starring in a specialty role last season.
Majette played in 12 of the 13 games his freshman season, where he totaled 288 all-purpose yards on 45 touches. Last season Majette only played in eight of the team’s 13 games and totaled 267 yards on 46 touches. Majette looked to be making his mark as a runner and receiving threat out of the backfield was his season was cut short.
Williams’ freshman year, where he was moved to defensive back, was cut short due to a knee injury. The redshirt sophomore has untapped potential that could lead to a productive year in 2017. Williams was IU’s primary kick returner last year averaging 20.1 yards on 39 returns, he seemed a broken tackle away from taking a few back for touchdowns. However, Williams will need to improve his technique and decision making on kickoffs as too many times he would catch the ball backing up with little to no forward momentum.
Out of the backfield, Williams was disappointing, averaging only 3.5 yards per attempt as he had the third most carries on the team. He will need to improve that number to at least over 4.5 if he wants to beat out the rest of the backs around him.Tyler Natee was a wildcard at the position last season lining up both as a running back and a quarterback in the ‘Bacon-n-Legs’ package. He bulldozed over defenders in wins against Michigan State and Maryland. He picked up Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his 111-yard performance against the Terps. Natee was also named an All-Big Ten Freshman Team Honorable Mention as he ran for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Natee is versatile and could find a niche in the offense like he did last year. While the ‘Bacon-n-Legs’ package may be a thing of the past there is still a spot for the 270-pound back.
The sleeper to secure the role is redshirt freshman Cole Gest, who played in three games before getting injured, resulting in a redshirt. Hoosier fans saw a glimpse of what Cole Gest could do in the three games he played in. Gest showed bursts of speed that the IU backfield was missing last season, as he averaged 4.7 yards per carry. His speed and ability to hit the hole with authority will give Gest a legitimate chance at landing in the number two spot at running back.
10. Can Haydon Whitehead Beat Out Joseph Gedeon at Punter?
Yes, a third special teams question! That is just how poor this phase of the game was in 2016 for the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers will have a battle for the starting job at punter as well as Joseph Gedeon proved to be too inconsistent to be counted on in major spots. Gedeon had become somewhat of a cult hero due to his outgoing personality on Twitter and the fact that he just may have been the fastest guy on the team (he did beat out Shane Wynn in a spring game race). To help shore up the position the Hoosier staff plucked Australian punter Haydon Whitehead out of the ProKick Australia program. That’s the same program that produced the Ray Guy Award winner from the previous few seasons. Whitehead is a lefty punter who can also kick with his right foot. He has an outstanding leg and could be come the weapon that Indiana needs at punter to get to the next level.
There are probably handfuls more questions fans have about this team going forward. Please don’t hesitate to discuss them in the comment section. Also check out Support Page for ways you can help HoosierHuddle.com provide quality, free content.